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50-Foot Wide Sinkhole Opens In Couple's Backyard

Posted: 3:53 pm EDT October 14, 2004Updated: 5:15 pm EDT October 14, 2004

An Orange County couple woke up to a sinkhole in their backyard and it keeps getting bigger. Now the couple has evacuated their home, which is off Orange Blossom Trail and 43rd Street.

When Dr. Thomas Fisher and his wife Kathi woke up in the morning, they did not expect to see a sinkhole in their yard.

"I got up at 6 o'clock [Thursday] morning. It was a beautiful sunrise and I look onto the lake I find the lake is 10 feet away from my house," Kathi says.

The Fishers were in disbelief when they noticed two 30 foot trees, a shed and two other citrus trees had been swallowed up by the ground.

"They were gone, straight down, sucked in. You could not even see the tippy-tops of the trees," says Kathi.

Even though the sinkhole opened up Thursday morning, it started getting bigger throughout the day, leading the county to deem the home unsafe. Engineers estimate it is at least 50 feet wide, but are unsure how deep it is.

"I probed it with a 20 foot stick. It never even touched the bottom," says Thomas.

The Fishers are now forced to pack up their belongings and stay in a safer place. And, although their life seems to be caving in, the Fishers are looking on the bright side.

"If I lose my house, I lose my house. It can be replaced, but it's just a frightening situation," says Kathi.

The Fishers are unsure when they will come home. Engineers first have to make sure the sinkhole is stabilized and filled before it is safe to go back on the property. The Fishers' insurance company is evaluating the sinkhole and testing the property.

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